Swanky Franks shuts its doors

Updated 7:48 pm, Sunday, May 7, 2017

Swanky Franks has been a fixture in Norwalk for more than 60 years and is now closed.

Swanky Franks has been a fixture in Norwalk for more than 60 years and is now closed.

Photo: Alex Von Kleydorff / Hearst Connecticut Media

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A sign saying Thanks for the Memories hangs on the front door of Swanky Franks of Norwalk on Connecticut Ave. on Sunday May 7, 2017 in Norwalk Conn. The popular hot dog spot has been a fixture in Norwalk for more than 60 years and is now closed less

A sign saying Thanks for the Memories hangs on the front door of Swanky Franks of Norwalk on Connecticut Ave. on Sunday May 7, 2017 in Norwalk Conn. The popular hot dog spot has been a fixture in Norwalk for ... more

Hour Photo/Alex von Kleydorff Savio Cardozo fills an order with a half dozen hot dogs with fries during lunch at Swanky Franks on Connecticut Ave on Tuesday. Wednesday marks National Hot Dog Day and they will be serving up their famous franks.

Hour Photo/Alex von Kleydorff Savio Cardozo fills an order with a half dozen hot dogs with fries during lunch at Swanky Franks on Connecticut Ave on Tuesday. Wednesday marks National Hot Dog Day and they will

NORWALK — The Original Swanky Franks of Norwalk has closed its doors for good after more than six decades in the dog business.

“Thanks for the memories,” reads a sign hung over the front door of the eatery on Connecticut Avenue opposite Interstate 95 Exit 14.

The move took many by surprise.

“They say that all good things must come to an end ...” a post on the business’ Facebook page reads. “After 60+ years in the city of Norwalk, and in our family ... the Renzuella/Satterfield family have decided to close the doors of The Original Swanky Franks ... the sign on the door says it all.”

The post had hundreds of comments, reactions and shares on Sunday, with people lamenting the loss and sharing memories.

“Bummer, now there will be no place to get a decent hot dog in Norwalk,” wrote one man.

“So many fond memories growing up, my heart breaks with sadness,” wrote another. “My late mother use to take me there as a reward treat.”

The business opened in 1950 and has changed hands a couple of times over the years. The Renzuella family has owned the establishment since 1953, and reopened the restaurant as The Original Swanky Franks of Norwalk in 2008 after temporarily leasing it to someone else.

Traci Satterfield Meriwether, who ran the restaurant, said Sunday the family had planned to put the land up for sale in a few months, but she was injured last week after a fall, forcing the earlier closure.

“It was a very, very difficult decision,” she said. “It came with a lot of tears.”

She said the property would be sold, but that there was no specific buyer or plan for it.

She said enjoyed hearing people talking about their memories of the place.

“That was my favorite part of working there, people come in all the time and talk about their grandparents and how they came in over the years with different family members,” she said.